Andy Hoover
Tragically, the eventuality that is Christmas will likely cut into some of my gaming time as I adhere to social norms of interacting with family and the like, but rest assured I will find a few hours one way or another. And that time will most likely find itself revolving around RPGs from Japan.
Like many gamers out there, I am continuing my latest Pokémon adventure. I’m playing the Sun version and have been enjoying it quite a bit despite a few annoyances from earlier on. Having to deal with wild Pokémon calling for help can still be frustrating from time to time, but for the most part I have grown used to it. Also, I was finding the game too easy, but it finally feels like the difficulty is starting to ramp up a bit.
On the console side of things, I actually started Final Fantasy XV for PS4 and am hoping to get at least a few more hours into it. I’ve really barely scratched the surface but at least I’m finally starting to get the feel for things. The game is a very significant departure from every other entry in the series in numerous ways, and while not all of them feel like they have really paid off (at least not yet), most are really interesting, unique, and quite innovative. So, for anyone out there interested in the game, you’ll really want to put a few hours into it before you start to pass judgement, because things do eventually click.
Jon Stevens
I’m going to be splitting my time between party games this Christmas and the single-player games that I’ve been meaning to get stuck into.
With the Mario Kart 8 DLC now on offer here in the UK, now seems like a perfect time for me to pick it up (I missed out on it previously). I can almost guarantee that Mario Kart 8, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, and Nintendo Land will be requested this holiday and I can’t wait to sit down and play their multiplayer with friends and family!
I’ll also be starting Pokémon Sun/Moon this week, not just because it is the latest Pokémon game (reason enough!) but also because of the significant improvements that have been made this time around. Now could also be the time for me to give Fire Emblem Fates a go and, on a non-Nintendo note, to play through Hitman’s “Holiday Hoarders” update.
Beyond that, we’ll have to see what I get on the big day!
Joshua Johnston
This weekend will be very busy with family gatherings, and for the most part games will not be on the menu, either in spare time or as presents. However, both of my daughters have been clamoring for games this weekend, both in their different ways.
My oldest daughter, who is nearly nine, has been playing the Wii classic Sin and Punishment: Star Successor with me. At first she thought she was good enough to handle the main character, but after a few deaths decided that being the second (background) character was perfectly fine. We’re about a third of the way through the game now.
My younger daughter, who is five, asked me if I would play some Kingdom Hearts II this weekend. At first I wasn’t sure why… until I realized she wanted me to go to the Pride Lands. She’s been watching the recent movie and series The Lion Guard and for her, this is the next best thing. I might also try to beat the game: I’ve played and beaten it before on PS2 but I’ve never beaten it as part of the PS3’s 2.5 HD remaster collection, and I’m close, so I might try to finish it off. We’ll see
Robert Marrujo
I can’t believe Christmas is already here; it’s creepy how fast time can fly by. Mark my words, dear readers, it’ll be the Fourth of July before you know it!
Anyway, I have to admit to being a bit of a traitor lately because I’ve been basking in the glow of my PS4. I’m polishing off the Uncharted series by playing Uncharted 4, which has been excellent up to this point. I’m a huge fan of Naughty Dog’s Crash Bandicoot games from way back on PS One, so it was a genuinely pleasant surprise to see the original game make a playable appearance in Uncharted 4. Fourth wall breaking isn’t always common in video games, so it was refreshing to see it happening in this game.
Beyond that, I’m getting ready to crack into The Legend of the River King on my 2DS. It’s an old-school RPG series from Natsume that I never got to experience back when it first came out; it’s a fishing game at its core, but River King is so much more than that. This is the Game Boy Color version, which excites me because sometimes I miss the simplistic visuals and play mechanics of the games from that era of handhelds. 3DS is awesome, but these days there’s quite a bit of parity between the play styles of what’s on home and portable consoles (something Switch will totally be exacerbating!).
Happy holidays, everyone! Enjoy this time with your loved ones and be sure to squeak in your own video game adventures as the year winds down.
Kevin Knezevic
My free time has been rather limited this week, so most of my gaming has been on 3DS. I managed to get my hands on an Amiibo card of Louie (a gorilla who looks suspiciously like Donkey Kong) earlier in the week and have invited him to replace my town’s resident jock Iggly. Of course, because nothing can ever go quite like I plan it to, he set up his plot one flipping square to the right of where Iggly lived, which has been prodding the obsessive-compulsive part of my brain since it happened.
I’ve also finally started Monster Hunter Generations this past week, and while I’m still very early into the game (I’ve only put about nine hours into it so far), I’m really enjoying it. Monster Hunter games have a tendency to overwhelm you with tutorials when you first begin them, but Generations has been, thankfully, to the point, especially compared to the beginning of Monster Hunter 4. I doubt I’ll ever put enough time into Generations to tackle the game’s high-rank quests, but it’ll serve as a suitable diversion when I’ve got nothing else to play.
What video games will you be playing this holiday weekend? Let us know in the comments!